A CATASTROPHIC mid-air crash over South Wales was most likely caused by the pilots failing to see each other, the inquest has heard.

In the second day of evidence at the Aberdare inquest yesterday, coroner Peter Maddox heard from experts who contributed to a post-accident service enquiry that several factors may have meant the pilots weren’t aware of the other plane.

The report was made in the wake of the tragedy, which saw a mid-air collision between two Grob Tutor light aircraft which came down over Kenfig Nature Reserve near Porthcawl on February 11, 2009.

The accident claimed the lives of cadets Katie-Jo Davies, 14, and Nikkita Walters, 13, both of Gilfach Goch and based with the RAF’s 1004 Squadron in Pontypridd.

Their instructor pilots that day, Bridgend-based Hylton Price, 63, and 24-year-old Andrew Marsh, from Penarth, were also killed.

Squadron Leaders David Rae and Michael Hoyle, who lead a service enquiry in the wake of the tragedy, read out the findings which found that the white colour of the planes, obstructions in the plane design and glare from the sun could have contributed to the crash.

Sqn Ldr Rae said that it was “impossible” to ascertain whether the planes had communicated with one another via radio, as there was no cockpit voice recorders fitted in the planes.

Reading from the findings of a service enquiry in the wake of the tragedy, he said: “The cause of the accident was that the aircraft were in controlled flight into the same airspace at the same time, as a result of both aircraft captains being unaware of the position and proximity of the other aircraft.”

Another contributory factor cited by the report included the “see and avoid” techniques employed by the pilots – which remains the recommended RAF training for avoiding accidents.

See and avoid involves training pilots to routinely scan around their aircraft for other aircraft and potential dangers.

The inquest heard that cadets were not trained formally in see and avoid techniques, but were encouraged to report anything they saw to the pilot.

“Nevertheless, reliance upon the ‘see and avoid’ principle, which is subject to fundamental limitations was a contributing factor in the accident.”

Other contributory factors to the tragedy cited by the enquiry were a “lack of additional deconfliction measures”, which could have prevented the aircraft entering the same airspace, and an “incomplete mental air picture”, which meant that beyond a pre-flight briefing, the pilots were unaware of the position of the other plane.

Asked whether the white colour of the plane could have contributed to the planes being obscured, Sqn Ldr Rae said: “Where the aircraft was in relation to its background [prior to the crash], an emerging white aircraft against the white background, we felt as a panel that it would be a challenging thing to see.”

He said the enquiry had pinpointed the likely time of the collision was 10.46am from radar readings. Sqn Ldr Hoyle told the inquest that there were no apparent mechanical or engine problems with either aircraft.

Asked by the coroner on the survivability of such an accident, Sqn Ldr Rae said that there was no direct evidence.

But he added: “What we thought would be likely, based on the fact that it was a dramatic situation, we were able to determine was that the canopy on one plane had been opened at some stage.

“But the cadets were still securely strapped into their seats in the cockpit and both pilots had activated their Quick Release mechanisms.”

He said that this made it likely that the pilots were conscious in the immediate aftermath of the crash, but would only have had around 17 to 25 seconds to recover the situation following the collision, which with the “disorientation” of a mid-air collision made it a “very short amount of time” to react.

Yesterday’s proceedings also heard from pilot instructor Sqn Ldr Alexander Goodwin, based at RAF Cranwell, who confirmed that the emphasis remained on “see and avoid” procedures.

Sqn Ldr Goodwin said: “The emphasis has always been on the way of ‘looking out’ and the nature of doing that. As it stands, we believe that this still remains, across light aircraft, the best way of avoidance.”